Aggies Down UTSA, Sweep Road Trip

The New Mexico State men's basketball team won its ninth consecutive game with a 75-62 victory at UTSA. The Aggies (15-8, 9-2 WAC) tied the school record for blocked shots with 12.

Freshman center Sim Bhullar recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. Senior forward Bandja Sy also scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Junior forward Renaldo Dixon was in double figures with 12 points, which ties a season-high mark, and he had career-high five blocked shots.

The Aggies had a nine-point lead at halftime, 41-32, after shooting 51.6 percent from the field (16-of-31). NM State exploited the size difference and posted a 24-6 advantage in points in the paint.

Sy led the Crimson and White with 13 points on a 6-of-10 shooting performance. Bhullar nearly had a double-double in the first half with nine points and 10 rebounds. He also had three blocked shots.

NM State started the game with an 8-0 run and hit its first 6-of-8 shots. The Roadrunner answered from long range and hit three consecutive 3-poitners to take their first lead of the game, 16-15, at 11:46. UTSA shot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes of action.

After trading leads, the Aggies turned defense into offense and utilized a 14-3 run for their largest lead of the half, 11 points, 36-25, with 3:50 to go in the first half.

With a 7-2 scoring advantage to begin the second half, the Aggies had its largest lead, 48-34, at 17:52 on a jumper from Dixon.

UTSA cut the Aggies' lead to six, 60-54, at 9:26 with a 3-pointer, but sophomore guard Terrel de Rouen responded for NM State with a triple of his own. The Roadrunners would trim it to six points again, 66-60 at 7:21. The Aggies then held UTSA scoreless for over six minutes and only allowed two points to end the game.

The Aggies return home to host Idaho, Feb. 7 and Seattle, Feb. 9 in the Lou Henson Classic.